FORMATION OF CLUSTERS OF LOCALIZED STATES IN A GAS-DISCHARGE SYSTEM VIA A SELF-COMPLETION SCENARIO

Formation of extended structures composed of localized states via the self-completion scenario is observed. The localized states are actuall y current filaments in a dc driven planar semiconductor-discharge syst em. The structure grows from a solitary localized state in the subcrit ical domain, where the homogeneous state is stable. It is proved that compact hexagonal clusters form due to the attractive interaction betw een distant filaments. A semiphenomenological model of the activator-i nhibitor type is proposed which suggests that the Turing mechanism tri ggers the phenomenon.